The meanest fish I've ever owned: Not sure what to do.

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bluehighways

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 10, 2010
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wisconsin
I've got a male Red Devil that's about 10 inches long, and shares a tank with a Common Pleco who is pushing 16". They share a 90 breeder. My wife told me the devil was beating up that huge pleco, and I didn't really believe her, until I saw it myself.

Mojo (red devil) keeps the pleco in the corner most of the time, unless pleco is munching a cucumber. If pleco tries to swim around the tank he gets his fins nipped at and head butted by Mojo.

I noticed that pleco's sail looks like it's got mouth sized bites taken out of it.

Should I split them up to different tanks, or is that pleco tough enough to handle it.

(if that pleco wanted to, it could probably clean Mojo's clock, but it doesn't seem to realize how big and tough it really is.)

Suggestions?
 
I'd split them or get a larger tank. The pleco might be able to take it but that's not really a very good life for the pleco. And I doubt the red devil is going to get more mellow as he gets older and larger.
 
give the pleco a few hiding spots
 
As stated really only two options.

A: Seperate the fish.
B: Provide hiding places for the Pleco the RD can't get into.

The pleco will be forced into a totaly nocturnal exsistance, so you'll have to make sure you throw some food in at lights out so it doesn't slowly starve to death.
 
bigger tank, more hidey holes, separate them ... devils are as their name suggests, heaps of personality, but are just plain bastards ..... also try rearranging everything in the tank frequently so the devil can't get territory established
 
Good luck. I don't ever want another one! He was so mean someone would have to hold him in a net when I. Cleaned his tank so he would not attack me. He ate or killed everything in the tank and breaking everything.before he died I had him and a huge pile of gravel in the middle.
 
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